KARACHI: The government is set to borrow roughly Rs5 trillion from domestic banks in the January-to-March quarter through auctions of government securities, leaning heavily on local lenders to plug its fiscal deficit as external funding remains scarce.
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Pakistan plans 600 MHz spectrum sale next month in push for faster internet, 5G rollout
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan plans to auction about 600 megahertz of additional spectrum next month, a move aimed at easing a severe shortage that’s hampered internet speeds and delayed the country’s entry into the 5G era, a government minister said.
Exports sink for fifth straight month, slump over 20 percent in December
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s exports tumbled for a fifth consecutive month in December, plunging more than a fifth from a year earlier and driving the trade deficit wider amid sluggish global demand and soaring domestic costs.
Court sentences exiled journalists and critics to life in ‘digital terrorism’ case
ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad sentenced seven critics of the government and military, including journalists, a YouTuber and a former army official, to life imprisonment on Friday for their alleged roles in inciting riots that erupted after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in May 2023.
Govt says it seeks talks, not the political exile of Imran Khan
ISLAMABAD: Amid a deepening political deadlock that has gripped Pakistan for months, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asserted on Friday that the government was not demanding the exclusion of Imran Khan, the jailed founder of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, as a prerequisite for negotiations.
For the fifth time, Islamabad’s local elections appear headed for postponement
ISLAMABAD: The long-delayed local government elections in the capital, Islamabad, are poised for yet another postponement, the fifth in a row, after the federal cabinet on Friday approved a raft of amendments to the law governing the polls, casting fresh doubt on a vote already scheduled for Feb. 15.
Pakistan’s internet users surge 57 percent household access hits 70 percent, survey shows
ISLAMABAD: Individual internet use in Pakistan jumped to 57% from 17% over the past year, while household access to the web more than doubled to 70%, according to a government survey that highlights pockets of progress amid broader economic strains.
PM aide calls for talks among Pakistan’s ‘top five’ power brokers to break political deadlock
ISLAMABAD: A top adviser to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pressed for steps to rebuild trust among five most influential figures in Pakistan’s politics on Thursday, saying that without agreement at the highest levels, the nation would remain mired in political deadlock.
Pakistan discovers oil, gas in northwestern province amid push to cut imports
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan announced the discovery of oil and gas in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a find that could bolster domestic production and help narrow the country’s widening energy shortfall.
ECP extends deadline as 446 lawmakers fail to file asset statements
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said on Thursday 446 lawmakers, including 125 members of the National Assembly, had failed to submit required statements detailing their assets and liabilities by a Dec. 31 deadline, setting up a potential wave of suspensions that could disrupt legislative proceedings across the country.